


Bucket List

by Jena Bartley (jenab)



Category: JAG (TV 1995), NCIS: Los Angeles
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:34:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27464254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jenab/pseuds/Jena%20Bartley
Summary: Owen Granger’s death has A.J thinking about the future.Spoilers: NCIS: LA Season Eight: Golden Days
Relationships: A.J. Chegwidden/Sarah MacKenzie
Comments: 6
Kudos: 12





	Bucket List

_“There’ll be more unattended glasses in the coming year.” Langston said, staring at Owen’s empty glass_

_He’d replied “That’s why we have to make the most of the time we have left above ground.”_

The recent events had gotten A.J. thinking about the future and what he still wanted to accomplish. 

Owen Granger’s death has hit them all hard and left them with a scimitar hanging over their heads in the form of Agent Orange. A killer left over from the Vietnam war that was meant to kill the enemy but also took out their own people, even decades later. 

He could spend the rest of his life wondering if or when Agent Orange will be the thing that kills him or he could get off his ass and actually live, maybe tick off a few things from his bucket list that he’s been avoiding. 

California was nice, especially after the craziness that had infected DC even more than usual under the new President. 

A.J. can’t help thinking that it would be a nice drive down the coast to San Diego as the city wasn’t too far from Los Angeles. 

He’s kept track of his people after he retired. Rabb had returned to the sea, Executive Officer on the USS Allegiance, doing well there though there are rumours that he will be offered the Chair at JAG. 

He also knows that things didn’t work out between Rabb and Sarah, with Sarah heading out to San Diego. From what he’s heard she’s been thriving there and enjoying herself. 

That’s what has him contemplating San Diego, bad timing, and regrets.

On a sunny day, he took his rented convertible and headed down the coast. The drive was lovely, with the sun shining brightly and traffic light on the highway. GPS takes him right to a house on the beach. 

The door opens as he parks in the driveway and steps out of the car.

Sarah looks good, her smile wide and bright as she grins at him. She looks happy in a way he hadn’t seen in the past couple of years he’d been at JAG. 

“You made good time.” She said as she approached. 

“Let me guess. Hetty gave you a heads up.” 

Sarah laughed.. “My office is on very good terms with Hetty and her team up in LA. It’s good to see you Sir.”

“A.J.”

“A.J.” Sarah replied. 

She was still smiling at him, as she walked toward him. 

A.J. didn’t resist the urge to check her out. She wore a flowery summer dress that just brushed the tops of her knees and left her shoulders bare, showing off her tan. Her brown hair was loose, strands blowing in the breeze. 

He could see Sarah looking him over, her lips still curved in a smile as though what she saw pleased her. There was heat in her eyes when she met his gaze, sparking a tension A.J hadn’t felt since the last time he was with her before he retired from JAG. 

There had always been a spark between them, something they’d come close to giving into at one time. Now he wasn’t her commanding officer anymore and she wasn’t with Rabb. 

“You’re just in time for dinner. I know a great place to eat and watch the sunset.” Sarah said as she walked towards the car. A.J. opened the door and was rewarded with another smile and the scent of her perfume wafting in the wind. 

He watched as her dress slid up her thigh, baring a long line of skin as he shut the door. 

Heat shivered through him as Sarah didn’t tug the dress back down. He resisted the urge to reach out and run his hand over the tantalizing skin of her leg. 

Dinner was full of good food and conversation as they caught up on what had been happening with them over the years. Throughout it was the brush of their fingers as they passed each other items and the press of Sarah’s leg against his under the table. 

Later, on the drive back to Sarah’s house, she reached out to rest her hand on his thigh. 

When they arrived, Sarah undid her seatbelt and turned towards A.J. She leaned forward, kissing him. A.J. responded, pulling her close as he deepened the kiss. 

When Sarah pulled away, her cheeks were flush and her lips swollen. A.J. hadn’t let himself thing about Sarah like this, fearing the temptation to cross lines that shouldn’t be crossed in his capacity of Sarah’s commanding officer. 

Except now they weren’t in the same chain of command, not even in the military anymore. 

When Sarah held out her hand and said “Come with me.” A.J. didn’t hesitate. 

There was still the spectre of Agent Orange hanging over his head but right now, A.J. took Sarah’s hand and followed her into her home and into her bed.


End file.
